Portland student headed to West Point

Published 12:00 am, Monday, June 27, 2011

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Catherine Avalone

Catherine Avalone

Photo: TheMiddletownPress

Portland student headed to West Point

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PORTLAND -- A Boy Scout outing when he was in the eighth grade planted the seed of an idea in Eric D. Churchill's mind. This morning, the local resident will take his most concrete step to realize that dream: He stands poised to become a cadet at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.

A year ago, that seemed unlikely.

Admission to the military academy (and the Naval and Air Force academies) is generally by appointment only. A candidate has to be nominated by a congressman or senator from his or her candidate's home state.

Churchill was nominated last year by then-U.S. Sen. Christopher J. Dodd. But when the list of appointments came down last year, Eric's name was not on it.

Then the unexpected happened.

Churchill received phone call from the admissions office at the academy telling him not to give up hope, that West Point still wanted him. The officer who spoke to Churchill told him to continue his education at another college, and to re-apply this year.

Churchill enrolled at the University of Connecticut and focused on engineering - which will come in especially handy at West Point, founded in 1802 as an engineering school.

Academy officials say West Point, with its historic campus located on a bluff with a commanding view of the Hudson River, was the first engineering school in the U.S.

Churchill reapplied, securing his nomination this time from 1st District U.S. Rep. John B. Larson.

"I'm glad I went to UConn for a year," Churchill said during a interview recently in his parents' Carousel Drive home. "I wanted to get a feeling for what (a civilian education) is like."

But, his heart remained set on West Point, which "I first saw in the eighth grade, when we took a Scout trip out there."

"We didn't actually get to see the campus on that first visit," Churchill said. "But we did get to meet some cadets."

As Churchill grew and matured, so did his dream. At Portland High School, where he played percussion in the school band, he was encouraged in his dream by his band teacher, Kristin Novak.

"She's always been very, very supportive," Churchill said.

Novak's husband is an academy graduate, he added.

When Churchill announced his intention to go to West Point, he admitted, "My Mom (Leona) was a little hesitant at first."

The academy regimen is grueling. And upon graduation, a cadet must serve five years' active duty and three years in the inactive reserve. And, the nation is still involved in fighting two wars.

"But, she spoke to people at work who have sent their sons and daughters to the academy, and she became more comfortable with the idea," Churchill said.

By contrast, Eric Churchill's father, Glenn, an IT specialist, "was very excited" about his son's choice.

"He liked the idea immediately, and he's happy I went for it," Churchill said.

His girlfriend, Katie Dillon, also supports Churchill's choice of West Point, although he said she is not happy that the Academy bans plebes (freshmen) from using electronic messaging devices.

And, Churchill acknowledged, he is still adjusting to the fact that he will only be able to come home for one weekend between now and Thanksgiving.

Over the past year-plus, Churchill also developed a good working relationship with Nancy E. Bates, a West Point graduate who serves as a regional volunteer admissions representative.

Bates, a graduate of the class of 1984, is a retired Army major. As an admissions field force representative, she said she is "the first line of defense" for candidates like Churchill applying to the academy.

Gaining admission to the academy is not an easy process.

In addition to having to be nominated by a member of Congress, applicants are also ranked by a "Whole Candidate System," Bates explained. Sixty percent of the total is drawn from academic qualifications. Thirty percent is drawn from "leadership qualifications," which measure a candidate's leadership potential in club and team activities. The remaining 10 percent of the score is drawn from a physical fitness test, Bates said.

But that is only the beginning. When a candidate is accepted, he or she must then "pass a background check (through law enforcement) and maintain their academic, medical and ethical/moral standings" until the day they arrive at West Point.

Bates and Churchill have something in common, Bates explained. She didn't win an appointment on her first try, either. But she persisted, and eventually won appointment to the class of 1984.

Up to a quarter of each incoming class does not arrive at the Academy straight from high school, Bates said. In many ways, Bates said, the academy finds that to be a very positive situation.

Candidates who arrive like Churchill with at least a year at another college "are older, and often that is accompanied by a greater maturity, sense of purpose, discipline and focus," Bates explained. In addition, re-applying also demonstrates both "resilience and a greater commitment," Bates said.

As this past academic year drew to a close, Churchill said, "A lot of my UConn friends wanted me to stay at Storrs." He acknowledged there were emotions pulling him in that direction.

"(But) I wanted this more," he said. "I didn't feel I could turn down an offer for an appointment to such a prestigious academy."

That sentiment was seconded by Erik Brown, Churchill's life-long friend who recently enlisted in the Coast Guard. Discussing Churchill's decision to choose West Point, Brown said, "It's the best decision you've made in your life."

Churchill spent a weekend at the academy during his senior year in high school. When asking a freshman, who struck Churchill as pretty relaxed, about life at the academy, the freshman said "It is what you make of it."

West Point mixes a course load heavy in mathematics and engineering-related topics in the first two years with rigorous physical training.

Churchill said he feels confident about both those challenges; he took engineering classes at UConn, and "I love being outside." As a result, he said, "I feel I am going to be somewhat comfortable doing what's required of me."

And then he stopped, smiled, and added, "I'm very excited -- and I can't wait."